The House We Built
by Sehrezad
Summary: Derek Morgan is proud of the house he built with his family. Just a little family fluff. Written for the Prompt for August of Gone Country Challenge.


**The House We Built**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything._

_Summary: Derek Morgan is proud of the house he built with his family. Just a little family fluff. Written for the Prompt for August of Gone Country Challenge._

_"I'm proud of the house we built, it's stronger than sticks stones and steel. It's not a big place sitting up high on some hill; a lot of things'll come and go, but love never will. Oh, I'm proud of the house we built."_ – **Brooks and Dunn **(_Proud of the House We Built_)

_Chicago (Several Years in the Future)_

It was in the early evening when Derek Morgan finally pulled up in front of his house. He had an incredibly long day behind him and the following day didn't promise any change in his work schedule, either.

But at that moment he was happy to be home.

He hopped out of his car and locked it then hurried into the house.

"I'm home!" He yelled from the door hoping for some reaction but none came. The house seemed empty and the lamps were turned on only in the hall. His wife must have been upstairs getting the kids ready for bed. He was glad that he could meet them before they all had gone to sleep.

He put down his bag and keys and started towards the living room as he could hear noises coming from the room.

As he stopped at the door to take a look at the dark room which was only lightened by the flickering of the TV he saw Toby curled up on the coach wrapped up in a blanket. He went in and crouched down next to sleeping boy. As he caressed his cheek he winced at the heat which he felt. He had fever. Derek felt so guilty.

In the early afternoon Emily called him to ask him to go and get Toby from pre-school because he hadn't felt well and she was in the swimming class with Dominic, their youngest son. But he couldn't go and they ended up in a rather heated discussion about his responsibilities. To say that both of them had been fuming after the call would be an underestimatment.

Now he felt terrible for not being there for his sick son. And he dreaded the moment when he had to face his presumably still angry wife.

But at that moment he heard a noise from upstairs and that noise was coming closer and closer. He quickly stood up and went out of the living room to prevent his squealing youngest boy to dash into the room and wake up his brother.

He stopped by the foot of the stairs and he couldn't help but laugh out when his very naked and very wet two-year-old got into view making his best to get to his father as fast as he could without falling down the stairs. Behind him he left wet trails all over the carpet and all over the rails… and behind him came his mother.

"Dominic Morgan! What have I told you about the stairs?" But the little boy just continued his way towards his father who finally met him halfway and gathered the little wet boy into his arms.

"Hey, Buddy! Where are you running so fast?" Instead of an answer Dominic just buried his foamy head into his father's neck. "Alright, I'm happy to see you, too, Buddy." Derek looked up at Emily who began to walk down the stairs with a towel in hand. She looked tired, he noted. And he felt guiltier.

When she reached the boys she put the towel around Dominic's wet form then leant down and kissed her husband who smiled into the kiss relieved that she wasn't so angry after all.

"What?" Emily asked bemused.

"You are wet." He stated simply taking in his wife's soaked form.

"Well, yeah. And so are you." She answered. "I don't know what happened today but all of the kids went crazy. This little monkey, for example, thought that he was in the swimming-pool while I tried to bath him and splashed all the water at me while practicing his leg work. I couldn't get him out of the tub. But fortunately he heard his daddy's voice and decided to make a run for it. Thank God. He practically jumped out of the tub."

"Well, he is out now." He said with a smile adjusting the little boy in his arms.

"And you can dress him." Emily said in a sing-song voice. "I'll go and change. Good luck with him. He is like an Energizer Bunny today."

"It's nothing we haven't known yet."

They started up the stairs together.

"Hey, Em. We should really talk to the Roberts and tell them that they shouldn't really let Jamie play the violin in the evening." Derek said. He heard the sound of a seriously out of tune violin when he had entered the house. He even heard it in front of the door, too. But now it was really getting much louder.

"Oh no, Honey. That's not the Roberts boy." Emily replied with humor in her voice and with a tone which indicated that she clearly knew something. "That's, Honey, your very own boy."

"You are just kidding me, right?" He looked at Emily incredulously hoping that it was all a joke and Brandon hadn't really begun to play the violin. But his wife looked at him with a 'you wish' expression' and he had to groan. "But he had never even held a violin in his hand. Ever."

"Yeah, that is what you can hear now. But at least he is in his room and I can hear what he's doing."

"That you definitely can."

"Oh, come on. Let's say hello. But, please, don't say anything. He took this whole thing quite seriously."

"Why do I feel that there's a girl involved?" Derek wondered.

"Because we are talking about your son here?"

Together they entered the room of their eight years old boy who, at that moment, was clenching the violin in a way that made his parents wince. The noise, Derek noted, was less bearable at that side of the door. Apparently, Dominic found it enjoyable as he began bouncing in his father's arms and clapping his little hands enthusiastically.

"Look there! Who's got a fan already?" He asked laughing which got Brandon's attention who put down the violin and turned towards his parents.

"Hey, Dad!" The boy greeted his father with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, come on, kiddo! What was that? I thought you'd got Mrs Harris' cat and…" He couldn't finish the sentence because Emily's elbow made a sharp contact with his ribs.

"Sorry." The boy said sheepishly looking down at his feet. But after a few seconds, which was filled with Emily's reproaching look and Dominic's happy giggling, Brandon looked up shyly. "Can I talk to you, Dad?"

"Of course." He answered and moved to sit down on the bed. "What's up?" But the boy didn't answer just looked at his feet again. Emily sensed that her presence wasn't really needed for this conversation so she spoke up.

"Alright. What about me putting this little guy into bed and you two can talk alone." With that she took a still very livid Dominic from his father. "Let's go let these two talk about their man thing…" With that she left the room cooing to the little boy and leaving a furiously blushing Brandon and a grinning Derek behind.

"Alright boy." Derek spoke up and patted the spot next to him. He waited for his son to sit down then began. "So what's her name?"

Brandon shot up his head and looked at his father shocked. Seeing hid dad's knowing smile he wondered, not for the first time, how his dad can know everything.

"Emily." He whispered this time finding hid hands very interesting.

"Emily, huh?" Figures.

"Dad? How did you know that Mum liked you?" Brandon looked back at his dad.

"Well… Let's see…" How did he notice that Emily liked him? "She began to speak with me. Yes. And… she smiled at me sometimes…" He said lost in his thoughts. He liked to remember those early days in their relationship when they hadn't even known what they had really felt and the moment when he realized that Emily had a special smile just for him. That was the moment when he realized that he had a special smile for her, too. "You know, your mum has a special smile for me…"

"And did she smile at you while she was speaking with her friends?" Hell, yes. That was when Garcia started a rumor about the two of them long before they got together. "And did she play with you?" He chuckled at that. "Did she give you gifts?" Well, the morning coffees waiting on his desk were definitely great gifts. "Did she kiss you?" Well, not exactly. He was the one who… Wait! What?!

"Did she kiss you?" He asked back his son incredulously.

"Well…" The boy began with red cheeks. "Today I walked her to her violin practice and when she left, she gave me a kiss here." And he put his finger on his cheek.

"Well, that qualifies." Derek answered considering the things he had heard. "So you like Emily and Emily likes you." He concluded.

"I think so. That's why I have to know if Mum did these things." He looked at his father with big brown eyes. He was his mother's spitting image. In a little boy.

"Well, you can say that."

"So…?"

"So what?"

"So you spent more time with her? Like… doing something she liked?"

"Well… yes."

This was enough for Brandon who jumped up from the bed excited and with a huge grin on his face. "Thanks Dad!" He gave a quick hug to his dad and, much to his dad's dismay, he picked up the violin and continued torturing his family. Derek just shook his head smiling. Yes, his boy will be such a lady's man.

"Alright Buddy. You have thirty minutes till everybody gets into bed." But Brandon was already too absorbed in his practicing to hear him. So he just left the room with a proud smile on his face. His boy was growing up so fast.

After he had closed the door, he went to check on Dominic but found the room empty so he continued his way to the room of his youngest child.

He opened the door slowly not to wake up his baby but when he reached the crib and looked inside he noticed that she was wide awake. A loving smile appeared on his face as he reached out and took his baby girl into his arms.

"Hey there, little one! How's daddy's little angel?" As far as Derek was concerned this little girl was a real miracle. And if anybody would have asked Emily, she would have said the same. Derek always wanted a girl but they'd got three boys and after Dominic they decided that three children were just enough. They loved the boys to pieces but sometimes Derek couldn't help thinking about a little girl. However, he was completely happy with his family. Then Emily told him that she might be pregnant again. And she really was. It was totally unexpected and completely welcomed. And now he was holding his very own baby girl, Belle.

Standing in the room with Belle in his arms hearing the painful sounds Brandon was making with the violin in the next room and those of the happy giggling of Dominic with the occasional laugh of Emily from downstairs, he felt proud. He had a beautiful family.

"Come on, Belle. Let's see what the others are doing."

Hardly had they left the room when Derek saw Emily coming up the stairs with the boys. She was carrying a very sleepy Toby in her arms while Dominic was trying to make his way up the stairs. Derek had to laugh at the sight of his boy clinging to the rails.

"Hey, little Monkey, you're still up?" He asked the boy then looked at his mother.

"Don't say a word!" She warned him. "I put him into bed then went to check on Belle and by the time I got down to get Toby, he was down jumping on the coach demanding attention from his brother." She explained exhausted but smiling nonetheless. Their little ones were quite a handful. All of them.

When the little group reach the top Dominic rushed to Brandon's room and began jumping to be able to reach the knob. Meanwhile Emily stopped next to Derek who put his free hand around her waist and kissed her temple.

"What?" Emily heard him chuckle into her hair.

"You're still wet."

"Tell me about it!" She rolled her eyes.

"How's Toby?"

"He's still having a temperature but I gave him some medicine and now he is going to bed. I hope he'll sleep it off."

"Yeah." He agreed then gave a kiss to the sick boy. "Night, Buddy." Toby didn't say anything just looked up at him with glassy eyes. Derek kissed him again. He hated seeing his kids that way. "Go, put him in bed. I go and tuck in Belle then try to get hold of Dominic." He turned to his wife with a loving smile then took a look at his still jumping son.

Emily and Derek looked at each other and with a huge smile on their faces set off to put the kids into bed.

Finally Derek managed to collect Dominic from Brandon's room who was trying to explain to his little brother how to hold the violin. He just shook his head and decided, for everybody's sake, to find a teacher for him the next day.

It took them for a while but finally all of the kids were in bed. Hopefully asleep.

Derek sighed as he sat down next to Emily on the couch. Her eyes were closed as she snuggled closer to him.

They spent a couple of minutes just enjoying the silence that settled on the house then Derek spoke up.

"I'm sorry. I was such a jerk today."

"Well, that's very nice of you to admit but I was a bitch, too."

"Yeah." He agreed. "We're quite a pair, aren't we?" He smiled down at his wife. After about ten years of marriage and four children sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky a man he was. Granted that sometimes things just didn't go as smooth as they could and they had quite a few serious arguments behind them but they had a happy marriage.

He would never forget their most serious disagreement. It was when he was offered a position in the Chicago Field Office as the leading agent. It was a great opportunity for him to get ahead in his career. Of course it meant that both him and Emily should have left the BAU in Washington. After more than ten years in the BAU he was ready to move on to a higher position but Emily was less than thrilled. She was reluctant to leave behind their friends and pack up the two children and move to a new city.

Then they found out that she was pregnant with Dominic. The next day she told Derek that she was ready to move on. She told him that it was the most sensible thing to do. He would have a great job and she would take out an extended maternity leave to stay home with the boys. Not to mention the fact that they didn't have to fly through half of the US to visit Derek's mother with the grandchildren.

Derek knew that it hadn't been an easy decision for Emily to make and that she missed working for the Bureau but he also knew that she was happy nonetheless.

They were all happy and it made Derek proud that during all of their disagreements their love for each other was never questioned. It was always there, regardless of what they had been throwing at each other at the heat of the moment.

"Yes, we are." Emily answered his question with a gentle smile. Derek leant down and kissed her lips.

"So, what have I missed today?" He inquired. He always loved to hear what the kids had been up to during the day.

"Well, as I said. They all went crazy." Derek just chuckled. "Well, Dominic was his little self. No surprise there. I'd rather have skipped his bathroom performance, though." Now both of them chuckled. Dominic couldn't sit still for a second. That's why Emily took him for the swimming class. At least that way she knew where his little boy tried to use up his energy. "But Brandon! He came home with Jamie's violin and began to play right away."

"Yeah. Looks like he found his own little Emily."

"No kidding?" Emily looked at him incredulously and Derek just shook his head. "So you gave him some advice?"

"Not really. He is a smart kid, like his father. He realized by himself that he just has to spend more time with her. That's why the violin."

"God help us!" Emily said and buried her face into his husband's chest then lifted her head when something occurred to her. "By the way, your mother told me, when I dropped Belle at her place in the morning, to tell you that no matter how much she loves you, she will kick your incredibly sexy ass if you don't get it over to her place some time this week."

"Wow. And she said it word by word?"

"Well, not exactly." Emily smiled at him seductively while run her hand up on his chest. "I think she didn't mention the incredibly sexy part."

"I bet she didn't." Derek smiled while Emily moved to saddle him.

"But you do have an incredibly sexy ass." She whispered into his ears.

"Well, Mrs Morgan, you can't complain, either." And he squeezed her butt to stress his point while kissed her thoroughly.

Later that night while he was lying in bed with a sleeping Emily in his arms, he smiled sleepily and pulled her even closer. His last thought before he drifted into sleep was that he really was a lucky man… and that he really had to visit his mother. Just to save his incredibly sexy ass.

**THE END**

_WOW, I finished it__!!! It became longer than I had planned originally but I hope you enjoyed reading it. I know I enjoyed writing it…_

_Thanks for reading and sorry for the mistakes!_


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